Anoka’s East Main reconstruction nearly complete

The six-month construction project to reconstruct Anoka’s East Main Street is in the home stretch.

Construction is in the home stretch on Anoka’s East Main Street. Final paving is expected in the overnight hours Monday and Tuesday followed by nearly two weeks of finishing work. Photo by Mandy Moran Froemming

Final paving on East Main is expected to be done during the overnight hours Monday, Oct. 8 and Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Eastbound lanes will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday for repaving, followed by the westbound lanes during the same hours on Tuesday night.

Traffic will be detoured on Ferry Street, Highway 10 and Seventh Avenue while that paving is completed, said Public Services Director Greg Lee.

“We are on schedule for the project to be substantially complete by Oct. 19,” said Lee. “It’s gone real well. Things have stayed on schedule and the businesses have been patient.”

But Lee expects a lot of construction activity over the next two weeks in order for the construction to be done and the city ready for Anoka’s annual Halloween celebrations. The Light up the Night Parade, which runs from First through Fifth avenues, is on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Drivers will notice a huge difference once that final layer of asphalt and permanent striping goes down next week, said Lee. The final paving will correct the bumps drivers are navigating at the intersections where paving stone crosswalks have been installed.

“That final paving is actually a week earlier than I expected it would be,” said Lee.

But that doesn’t mean all the lanes will be open to traffic next week.

Lee said to expect lane closures to continue while work is completed on the center medians as well as the outside lanes.

Aside from a few hours one morning, the contractor has kept at least one lane of traffic open in each direction since the project started in late April.

The new electronic reader board is also expected to be up and running by Oct. 15 in time to advertise the city’s upcoming Halloween events.